[AT] Another Antique tractor salvage yard hits the dust

[Dean VP]

For those of you who are familiar with Dan's Equipment in Redmond, OR, a
salvage yard, he is closing down this summer. He is planning on having an
auction around the last week of June and then sending the balance to the
melter except for a few choice pieces he will be taking with him. Not many
antique tractors but what is there is a limited selection of all colors.
I/H, Oliver, Ford, MM, JD, etc. etc. Mostly hay equipment, balers and
swathers. An example salvaged tractor: JD 2010 with three point and running
diesel engine, hydraulics not working, no rear wheels, tin in poor
condition. $900.  The engine and three point are worth more than that.
Several heads and blocks of unknown condition, etc, etc.

Dan is a decent guy and prices stuff fairly reasonably. I make no
representations; just have had reasonably good success at finding some parts
there. A big 18 wheeler arrived last Thursday for loading of cast parts
already on their way to the melter. Another yard bites the dust. 

Dan's Equipment, Inc
Dan Miller
6176 S. Hwy. 97
Redmond, OR 97756
877 498-2370
541 923-2370
Fax 541 923-3209

BTW:  There also used to be a fairly large used and new equipment yard in
Redmond, called Mel's Equipment, that usually had 20 to 30 or more antique
tractors for sale along with several pieces of used farm machinery. The yard
is now mostly used cars and trucks with maybe one or two used tractors and a
few used implements. However, in my experience their pricing structure was
non-competitive. Looks like Redmond, OR will no longer be a place to find
goodies in the future.

I suspect antique tractors and parts are going to get much harder to find
after this current run of high prices for scrap metal. Not good for the
hobby.  Lot's of new and different reproduction parts are probably going to
appear. May be the only source. Stuff like this goes in cycles but this one
is pretty pervasive. At least in the Northwestern quarter of the country
that I have been through recently. One yard told me they used to have 18
employees and are now down to 6. They don't even try to buy antique tractors
for salvage any more. They say they really only have two kinds of farm
customers any more. The 5 acre types and the corporate farms. Neither of
which is a good customer for them, they say.  Not sure where this is all
headed. 

Dean A. Van Peursem
Snohomish, WA 98290

CRS = Having a Photographic Memory but a shortage of unused film.

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